We're Where!
by ExtremeRainbowRaiderPrincess
Summary: What if Natla was causing havoc back in The Thief and The Cobbler's time? And what if Lara, Kurtis, and Trish, by some fluke with a portal, are dropped off. Can they stop Natla?
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I OWN TRISH- THE REST BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS! NOT ME! Oh, and I also own any other random OC you find here. ^_^_

_A/N: This was written because the amazing author Phyllis Joy Wolfe and I had an interesting conversation once and I decided to write a fic with this combo as a crossover. Don't know the Thief and the Cobbler? Look. It. Up. It is an amazing film._

_Also, check out Phyllis' stories. She's an awesome writer._

_Chapter One: Drop-In Why Dontcha?_

* * *

_**Long ago, in a far away land, there lived a thief. And a princess. And a former cobbler, now a prince. They lived peacefully… Until one of the worst beings ever waltzed into the city and attempted to take control…**_

_**Natla.**_

_**Of course, this is not where the story begins. It begins in the palace, near something shiny and gold as well…**_

_Good morning palace! I've had my latté, plain coffee is out; read the tabloids- Britney, what were you thinking?- and dodged those annoying pests telling me to take a bath. Now it's time to get to work!_

The Thief had become a very busy man after he had been released from jail, and now was the head of palace security. Of course, that didn't stop him from getting into his usual humorous trouble.

The Thief scurried down a hall, redecorated beige and green- replacing ZigZag's confusing patterns- on his way to the minaret for his usual guarding of the three golden balls. Of course, it was a challenge to get there.

What wasn't a challenge for the Thief though?

_Mm__… __It __seems __those __strange-nosed __advisors __are __in __a __tizzy __again._ He thought as he tiptoed towards the advisors.

"Ack! We are doomed!" One shrieked, falling over.

"Most certainly." Another agreed as the Thief slipped behind a large pot, holding an even larger fern.

_What __do __they __feed __these __plants? __'Juggernaut's __Super-Growth __Formula?'_ He thought as he stared up at the giant plant, who seemed to glare back. _What __are __you __staring __at?_

The plant seemed to stop glaring.

"With the golden Scion at risk-" One said.

_Golden __Scion? __Why __haven't __I __heard __of __this?_ The Thief thought, climbing up the side of the pot, God knows how, and working his way through the small jungle that was the fern before sticking his head out the other side. _And __why __on __earth __are __they __so __willy-nilly __about __blabbing __about __their __golden __items? __Seriously, __someone __might __steal __them._

"-We are at risk of death and destruction!" They wailed in unison before falling over as a group.

_Skip __the __warning- h__ow __gold __are __we __talking __about __here?_ The Thief thought.

How the advisors didn't see the swarm of flies around one section of the massive fern, we will never know.

The six advisors scrambled to their feet once more as the Thief swatted at the flies.

"To the vault! We shall protect it with our lives!" One proclaimed, the others nodding in agreement, before they scurried away.

_Sorry __Three __Golden __Balls,_ for that was what he called them, minus the "sorry", _but __I __have __to __see __just __how __gold __this __Golden __Scion __is._ He thought before leaping from the plant, in his grasp two leaves.

In classic Thief fashion, he soared after the advisors, who were constantly tripping over things thanks to their strange manner of "walking". If they didn't see him coming, they should've smelled him.

* * *

_**Far into the future, not all that far away from The Thief's location in the past, were a tomb raider, an… Well, she was currently a museum curator… Who also worked as a tomb raider/monster hunter, and a monster hunter, all currently knee-deep in sand...**_

"I told you not to press that button, but did you listen? Nooooooooooooo!" Patricia "Trish" Saes said with an eye roll as she stumbled through the sanding surrounding her and her comrades. "You just like to get on my nerves, don't you?" She snapped, throwing sand at Kurtis.

Kurtis used his telekinesis to throw a shield up, blocking the sand. "Yeah? Well I wasn't the one who ran into a door in my haste to escape the bats!" Kurtis Trent snapped back.

"Why am I trapped with you two?" Lara Croft asked, now up to mid-thigh in sand.

You see, they had been "visiting" a tomb, Lara to find a possibly deadly artifact, Trish because she had been invited and had nothing better to do, and Kurtis because the tomb was rumored to been infested with creatures- and not the cute, cuddly kind- and after a couple of hours of climbing through small tunnels, dodging traps, and one incident where they had awoken a flock of bats, causing Trish to freak out and run into a door, they finally reached a room with a pedestal in the center, the door into the room closing behind them.

At first, Lara and Kurtis had gotten ready for a large armada of monsters coming through the currently-closed doors in the room, while Trish tried to figure out why there was an empty pedestal in the center of the room with a small raised disk on it, before Lara and Kurtis's fears became true. But as the monsters flooded into the room, Kurtis had spotted the button and, in a moment of stupidity and miss-translating the ruins around them, slammed his palm down onto the raised disk, really a large button. The area around the pedestal fell in, dropping them down a large slide.

Of course it wasn't as easy as sliding for a while before landing uncomfortably at the bottom.

Sand began pouring down the tunnel behind them, giving them reason to worry, before the slide deposited them in a pile of sand, the new sand falling on them.

They fought their way to their feet and started across the long room, sand still pouring in, but at a manageable amount.

Or it was, until more chutes opened, pouring more sand into the room.

That was how they ended up wading through sand, Trish and Kurtis bickering like siblings.

"Look- it's this simple: You should've read the hieroglyphics faster!" Kurtis yelled.

"I DON'T READ HIEROGLYPHICS" Trish roared.

With a shake of her head and a click of her tongue, Lara spoke. "Does anyone hear something?" She asked as the room started to shake.

"Oh boy." Trish said before the floor dropped out from under them, all of them screaming as they fell down a dark tunnel.

"I hate traps!" Trish yelled over the roar of the wind.

"I wish I had never come!" Kurtis yelled.

"Does anyone see that light?" Lara yelled.

The other two looked and, indeed, they were falling towards a bright light.

"What the- AH!" Kurtis yelled before they landed on a sand dune, rolling down it.

As they rolled they caught glimpses of a nearby city- a strange looking one at that. When they finally rolled to a stop, Kurtis was the first to look up, his eyes pinwheels.

"Oh- look at the spinning city." Kurtis slurred. Seconds later he had passed out, drooling as well.

The other two nodded, Trish curling into a ball and covering her eyes, while Lara rolled onto her back, draping an arm over her eyes.

As the three lay in the desert, the guards of the city gates noticed them.

"Looks like The Thief had some friends dropping in." One said in a very Reno like manner.

"Literally." The other said in a Rude manner.

* * *

_First chapter… Do you like it? Please message me to let me know- Or not. Whatever. And a shout-out: This fic is dedicated to all you The Thief and The Cobbler fans who, like me, notice the lack of fics for it on the site. I hope you like it! ^-^ And did anyone catch the X-Men: Evolution/Final Fantasy VII mentions in the fic? …If not, they were mentioned with the giant plant and the two guards at the end…_

_And yes, I have edited this fic._


	2. Chapter 2: Fly Patrol

_Disclaimer: I own Trish and the OC's._

_A/N: Thank you those who read this fic! It means a lot to me that you found the fic, and [hopefully] it at least makes you smile. :)_

_Chapter Two: Fly Patrol._

* * *

Lara, slowly, opened her eyes as she heard someone ask if they were even alive.

_Ugh, I feel terrible. The last time I felt this bad it involved that chili Trish had made and a bad outdoor obstacle-course trip. Stupid quad. _She thought as her vision adjusted to the dim light in the room.

It didn't take her more than a second to realize that she was eye-to-eye with a wide hazel eye.

She lunged back on the bed as King Nod stumbled back before landing on his rear. He blinked, as if just waking up, or trying to stay awake, as a young woman in a crop top and flowing pants rushed over to his side.

"Father!" She cried, falling to her knees next to him. "Are you hurt?"

A young man with wide blue eyes hurried over to the young woman's side as Lara got off the bed she was on, spotting Kurtis and Trish nearby, Kurtis scrubbing at his face furiously and muttering about sand. With a cautious glance at the strangers, and one hand at her hip where one pistol was still holstered, she hurried over to her boyfriend and friend's sides.

"Kurtis? Are you all right?" She asked, kneeling at his side as Trish fell off the bed she was on with a startled squeak.

"Yeah, just got sand stuck to my face." Kurtis grumbled, stopping scrubbing long enough to reach out and touch Lara's face. "Are you all right?" He asked her, concern running deep in his crystal blue eyes.

Lara nodded as Trish groaned. "I'm all right too!" She said as she pushed herself to her feet. "Erm, guys, there's some men with swords here... And they look paranoid..."

Lara and Kurtis looked up and confirmed Trish's comment. There were guards standing between them and the old man.

"C'mon," Lara said, helping Kurtis up.

The six people stared at each other from across the room before the fallen man, with the help of his daughter and the other man, got to his feet. "Get me The Thief! Now!" He cried.

A tiny man with a gong taller than he was rang the gong, shaking and jolting across the floor as they winced at the noise.

"Ye-ow!" Trish said, plugging one ear. "That's louder than the dinner bell back home in Texas."

Lara shook her head as Kurtis spoke.

"Ladies, I don't think we're in that tomb anymore." He said.

Trish sighed. "No kidding, Kurtis." She muttered.

Lara, knowing that she was the most diplomatic one of the group, turned to the old man. "I apologize for the intrusion, but, if you don't mind me asking, where are we?"

The young woman next to the older man blinked before stepping forward. "I am Princess Yum Yum. You are in the golden city of Baghdad. Who are you?" She asked.

"We're where?" Trish blurted out. Seconds later, she clapped her hands over her mouth. "Sorry. That was rude of me." She apologized from behind her hands.

Lara cringed._ Weird name. Then again, everything is weird here._ "I am Lara Croft. This is Kurtis Trent," Kurtis crossed his arms, "and Trish Saes," Trish nodded, "and we are from England-" She stopped. "Well, I'm from England. They're from someplace else…"

The three strangers gave them confused looks as Lara realized that their location was only one small blip of a problem.

"What... Year is it?" Lara asked cautiously.

Yum Yum's next sentence confirmed her suspicion's: They weren't in their own time anymore.

"Oh dear…" Lara sighed as she turned to Kurtis and Trish. "Tread carefully. We are one wrong remark away from being marked as shaman. I don't know what will happen from there. There's also the whole issue of..."

The other two nodded, understanding.

"One wrong move and God knows what the future will turn into. I don't really like the sounds of that." Kurtis said.

Trish sighed. "Can nothing go right?"

* * *

Zip yawned as he shuffled into the Tech Room. He was wearing red and orange-stripped pajamas and pink bunny slippers, with a dark blue robe with lime green dots on it. If Zip hadn't had his coffee, he didn't have a sense of fashion.

Taking a seat in front of one of the computers, he blinked tiredly before typing in the password and logging on. Typing a couple of commands in, he found the link to Lara's headset and pressed "play" to see the video footage he had missed.

He watched them explore a tomb, including Trish freaking out during a run-in with a flock of bats and knocking herself out, before they reached a large room. As he watched the scenes occur, he grew dizzy. Finally, they slid down the tunnel.

"Where are they going?" He asked as they made their way across the room before falling… And then the feed cut out.

"Huh?" He said out loud before poking the computer tower. "Did you do something to the video?" He asked it before rewinding the footage and playing it again, slowly this time. "Oh, that explains it." He said sarcastically as he watched them fall into the hole again, a blinding light at the end.

"Okay, I think that tops Lara's list of freaky things happening on a raid." Zip said, leaning back in his chair as he grabbed the nearby satellite phone and dialed Lara's number.

A busy signal was his only answer.

"Okay, now I'm worried." Zip said, leaning forward again and putting the phone down.

He resumed staring at the footage, deep in thought.

Winston finally popped up after several minutes, standing behind the monitor Zip was at.

Zip looked up, slowly. "AH!" He leapt back, hopping out of his chair, as he frowned. "Winston what are you doing?"

Winston looked around, his eyes wide, before ducking.

Zip leaned over the monitor only to find Winston gone.

"Weird." He said, shaking his head. Suddenly a clatter was heard to his right and he looked in time to see Winston disappear into the room on the other side of one of the mystery doors in the Tech Room.

"Winston what are you doing?" Zip asked, following the older butler.

He looked into the room, which was very dark, and sighed. No sign of Winston.

"Where's Alistair when you need him?" Zip asked no one as he grabbed a flashlight before following Winston.

* * *

The Thief soared after the advisors, deep in thought.

_Hmm… I wonder if they're serving pears or watermelon at lunch today. Pears are nice, but they are useless as weapons. Watermelons are perfect weapons and work as great shields, but they are so messy. And you can't bring them with you as a snack later. I wonder if we'll be having cake as well…_

The Thief failed to notice the turn in the hall coming up shortly.

…_Of course, plum pudding instead of chocolate pudding would be a nice cha- OOF!_ He crashed into the wall, stars flying around his head as he crashed to the floor.

The advisors continued running down the hall, oblivious to The Thief on the ground behind them.

_Huh… I always thought cartoon stars were yellow. Who knew they could be neon green as well? _The Thief thought as he stood, shakily, and looked around. _Uh-oh- They're getting away. Fly Patrol- After them!_ He pointed as he ran, leaving the flies behind as they shrugged at each other before charging after the advisors, swarming around their heads.

"Ack! A plague! We must move quicker!" One yelled, leading the charge away from the flies.

_Mm… This calls for desperate measures I see. _The Thief thought, grabbing a pole that just happened to be lying around. _Commence launch in three, two, one-_ He vaulted off the ground into the air, soaring once more._ We have liftoff._

He soared through the air, dramatic music playing as the advisors fled the flies. Well, actually, it was as they tried and failed miserably to flee from the flies.

Soon the Thief ran into another problem- awnings- while the advisors reached a set of massive gold doors.

"Inside- Quickly!" One shrieked as they fled inside before slamming the doors shut.

_Hey- How come I never noticed those doors? _The Thief wondered as he bounced from awning to awning.

_Seriously, these awnings are becoming a real pain. Who keeps putting them up? Especially within the palace? _He wondered, soaring past one of the windows to the room that Kurtis, Lara, and Trish were in.

Kurtis saw him fly by and raised an eyebrow. Soon after, he shook his head. _Strange people… Who bounces off of awnings in their spare time? And what's with the layout of this place? Windows, indoors? Honestly..._

* * *

Natla stared into a golden orb- well, the orb could be gold, but it wasn't currently. It was showing the inside of the vault of the palace where several advisors ran in circles from a plague of flies.

"Mm… If that's who they have guarding that piece of the Scion then I shall have no trouble retrieving the piece without my presence being acknowledge." She said, her hands behind her back.

The sound of footsteps, albeit odd ones, and the swishing of robes alerted her to company in her hidden lair as she turned around. She was dressed in her "royal Natla" outfit, headdress and all, as a blue man wearing black robes and strange shoes entered the room. He bowed, a vulture soaring in after him. Somehow it managed to land on his shoulder.

"Oh greatest queen of all the land, to what is your royal command?" Zig Zag asked as he straightened before taking a step back from Natla's cold glare.

"I need you to tell me how to get the Scion from the royal vault." She said coldly, Fido shivering on Zig Zag's shoulder.

"She makes you seem happy, Ziggy." Fido muttered.

"But of course noble queen. Of course not everything is what it seems." He said.

"Must you always talk in rhyme?" She asked with a roll of her icy blue eyes as she turned back to the orb. "In three days there will be an eclipse- And I need the Scion long before then. Can you or can you not tell me how to retrieve it?" She asked, watching as one advisor stared at the Scion.

"If you wish to retrieve the Scion, then you must first know Klingon." He said.

She frowned, wondering why _Star Trek_ was so popular before it was even created and why she always had to do extra work just to get an idea as to how to get the Scion.

"What do you mean?" She asked, rubbing her temple. She had a migraine coming on…

"The head of security is a thief. And please do not feel disbelief. He can be easily distracted, especially by the three golden balls, even though he is supposed to guard the palace walls…" Zig Zag was loosing his ability to successfully rhyme…

"So what you're saying is that I need to make sure the head of palace security is not doing his job and then I can get the Scion?" She asked with a raised eyebrow as she turned to look at him over her shoulder.

"Indeed." He replied.

She sighed. "Why couldn't you have just said so to begin with?" She asked, turning and heading for the doors leaving the room.

* * *

_Sorry about the delay in updates- Those rhymes with Zig Zag were really hard to think up, but I actually thought of all of them in about twenty minutes. I will try to update faster._


	3. Chapter 3: Shiny

_Disclaimer: I own the OC's, the story, and after that nothing else._

_A/N: Thank you for the encouragement via reviews and thank you those who have added the story to their alerts and favorites! :)_

_Chapter Three: Shiny._

* * *

After Lara convinced King Nod that they weren't evil, or shaman's, or members of a group of "not-royal brigands", whatever those were, she managed to get them a tour of the castle. Lara was surprised that King Nod was going to give them a tour. He wasn't exactly the most hyper person... But before she could speculate further on the matter, Yum Yum and Tack led them away.

Once again, King Nod had avoided any non-essential movement.

"…And those are the doors to the royal vault." Yum Yum said with a wave of her arm towards the two massive gold doors.

"Shiny." Trish whispered, making a dash down the hall for the doors before Kurtis grabbed her by the back of her shirt and pulled her back down the other hall. "Aw man, you're no fun Kurty."

Kurtis scowled as he pulled her along. "Never call me that name again, _Trisha._" He smiled deviously as Trish scowled.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Don't call me that you dork." Trish said in disgust. "My ex-boyfriend used to always use that pet name on me. And besides, I wasn't going to steal anything. The historian in me is dying for a closer look, though, at those doors. The look like they're inscribed with some pretty awesome symbols. Think of what this could mean for history!" She whispered.

Kurtis quirked an eyebrow. "Speaking of boyfriend's, how's the current one?" He asked her with a smug look. Everyone who knew Trish knew that her latest relationship was on the rocks.

She gave him a deadly look. After a moment, she blinked, her face relaxing. "From here on, we agree to never call each other those names. Agreed?" She asked him.

He shrugged, letting her go. "For now, sure."

Lara rolled her eyes as she followed Tack and Yum Yum. "And what exactly is the royal vault used for?" she asked them as they walked down the long hall. The decorator had awful tastes; everything was geometric tiles that could make one dizzy if they stared at anything for too long. Fortunately, though, they were in subdued colors. She didn't want to even begin to imagine what the palace would look like if it were, say, black and white.

Yum Yum shrugged. "Mostly storing things father deems dangerous."

Tack looked at the floor. He mumbled something and Lara raised an eyebrow. "Could you repeat that, your highness?" She asked him.

Though he had a slight tan, his blush consumed his face and made him resemble a cartoon character.

"What my husband means to say is that my father deems a lot of things dangerous." Yum Yum explained.

"Oh? Like what?" Lara asked her.

"Boots, for one." Yum Yum stated simply.

"Boots?" Kurtis and Trish echoed in unison. "Why?"

Yum Yum shrugged again. "He claims that they are out to get him."

Tack was still staring at the floor when he spoke again. "He also claims to have visions." He muttered loud enough for the others to hear this time.

Yum Yum rolled her eyes and turned to the others. "It's true."

Kurtis raised his eyebrow and shook his head. Lara lightly elbowed Trish in the ribs to keep her from laughing before nodding. "Ah…" Lara said, not quite sure what to say.

Tack and Yum Yum looked at each other before looking at them again. "Well, at least you didn't laugh." Yum Yum said with an awkward smile before turning and leading them up the hall, continuing the tour.

"…And here's the royal courtyard…" Yum Yum explained as they stopped in the courtyard.

The three golden balls distracted Lara for a moment. Then, her vision flashed to something else. She winced, dropping her gaze as she put her hand to her head. She winced again as something else flashed before her eyes as her knees buckled.

"Lara? Lara, no!" Kurtis shouted as she saw something else.

She was running down a golden hallway, running towards the doors leading into the royal vault. The sky was dark and thunder roared before an explosion sounded.

A roar sounded behind her as she turned around, drawing her pistol before spotting strange creatures running down the hall after her. She turned back, holstering her pistol as she ran as fast as she could.

Reaching one hand out, noting that she wore gold jewelry on that hand, she touched the doors as she reached them before a blinding white light hit her and the scene… Ended.

Lara gasped as her vision returned to her, Trish, Kurtis, Yum Yum, and Tack standing over her. Actually, Kurtis was kneeling next to her, holding her, while Trish crossed her arms, her brows furrowed. "Lara!" She gasped, kneeling next to Lara as Kurtis stayed put.

"What happened?" Lara asked, confused and greatly in pain.

"We don't know. One minute you were fine," Trish helped Kurtis stand Lara up, "the next you were collapsing and… You said something about eyes. What about eyes?"

Lara frowned. Eyes? Why in the world would she be talking about eyes?

A gasp escaped Yum Yum as she turned to Tack. "You don't think-"

Tack nodded. "I do." He said.

"Go and tell my father." Yum Yum ordered before Tack ran off. "Let's get you three out of the sun." She said, shooing them out of the courtyard.

"What's going on?" Lara asked as they followed Yum Yum. Trish walked on one side of Lara, Kurtis on the other side, his arm around her waist, in case Lara decided to pass out again.

"The One Eyes must be returning. You must have had a vision!" Yum Yum explained as Trish paled.

"Vision?" The Texas native squeaked. "No no no. Lara doesn't get 'visions'. She's a brilliant person, but visions? Nah-uh. Nope. Never." Trish protested, trying to keep them out of trouble. "Besides, even Lara's too religious to think she has visions."

For once, Trish had said something that didn't offend someone. A possible first in a long time.

"But how else can you explain what happened?" Yum Yum asked as they hurried down a hall towards the throne room.

"Maybe I-" Lara started before Kurtis cut her off.

"Perhaps she has severe dehydration." He said simply.

"Ahhhhhhh!" A scream was heard from the throne room.

"Father!" Yum Yum cried, running away from them and into the throne room.

The trio slipped down another hallway to talk. "What did you see?" Kurtis asked Lara as she frowned.

"I was running down the hallway leading to the vault, it was dark and a storm was brewing and then some creatures were chasing me and I… I reached out and touched the doors when I reached them and… Then a bright light appeared and it was over… What is going on?" Lara said, frustrated.

Trish frowned in thought. "Hmm… I wish they had meteorology equipment here. It would be nice to know if you're right about a storm brewing. Dehydration is definitely coming into play here, but other than that..." The other two gave her a pointed look. "Oh come on you guys! We fell through a magic portal! Chances are likely that we passed through a section of time and Lara, for several phantom seconds, got stuck there." She reasoned. "You can't seriously be thinking that it was a vision."

Lara sighed. "You're right. I've just... Never had something like that happen before today."

Trish patted Lara's shoulder, a sympathetic smile on her face. "It's okay, Lara. We'll figure this out."

Lara snorted. "That's far from what I'm worried about."

Shouting came from the throne room as Kurtis looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow before facing the women again. "The weather isn't the only storm brewing."

As the three exchanged looks before going back up the hall to see what was going on, the Thief was getting himself into more trouble.

* * *

_Mm… Stupid advisors. They always have to lock the lower windows. _The Thief thought as he tried the lower windows into the vault. Crossing a bridge to get over a deep ditch, he decided to study the vault from a distance. _Hmm… Now, how would I get in there if I weren't the dashingly good-looking thief like I am?_ He pondered as he circled the outside of the vault once more.

The vault, while a room in the palace, was an add-on to the original layout of the palace about a year-and-a-half after Prince Tack and Princess Yum Yum had gotten married. So it had it's own wing that could be circled from the outside.

_Mm… An open window on the third story... _He stopped and stared at the open window two stories up. _That's perfect!_

Grabbing a pole that just so happened to be lying around, again, he backed up before charging, ready to pole-vault his way up to the window.

Of course, in classic Thief fashion, he made a mistake.

Somehow he failed to factor the deep ditch surrounding half of the exterior of the vault into his plans.

_Gah!_ He fell through the air and into the ditch, his cloak acting like a lifejacket.

_Good thing I know how to swim, because this is becoming a bad habit of mine. _The Thief thought in annoyance. _Maybe they've got a series of pipes I can climb up... That's never failed me before!_

The Thief had an incredibly short memory.

* * *

Natla watched in disgust from her hiding placing in a nearby tower. The head of security was a bumbling fool who had a herd of flies after him!

She winkled her nose in disgust. And he stunk to the highest reaches of Heaven- the Seraphim could probably smell him!

Not to mention he just landed in the ditch next to the vault. Natla was grateful that she wouldn't have to deal with him from anything less than afar.

_And Zig Zag said that this bumbling buffoon could help us? For the head of security, bathing is a must._ She thought in rhyme before her eyes widened in horror_. Did I just rhyme? Oh Zig Zag has done it this time!_ She thought, angered_. Rhyming is going to be a thorn in my side. Well, until this is over, I'm just going to have to abide._

Muttering an oath to make herself stop rhyming, she took to the air.

_Time to put my plot into motion; let's hope the castle is overwhelmed by this sea of emotion. _She thought with an evil grin.

* * *

The Thief hauled himself out of the ditch with a weary, silent, groan as the flies resumed harrassing him. _All right, obviously, this plan is the ultimate definition of- hey, what's that?_ He thought, something flying over him, heading straight for the minaret. _Oh-oh, I better get going back to my post. Maybe no one will notice because of that thing. _He thought as he scurried back to the secret passage he had used to get over there. _I wonder what that was anyway. Maybe the King's found a new, easy way of getting around._

A scream cut through his silent commentary.

_Or not. _With that thought, he gathered up his robes and took off at a sprint for the minaret.

* * *

_*Cringes* Rhymes- they get a little annoying to write when you've got one sentence in mind and then you hit something like orange and you're out of luck. Oh well. Review if you like, don't if you don't want to._

_Thank you for your time. ^_^_


	4. Chapter 4: Turning Time

_Disclaimer: OC's, I own them. Others: I do not. Story: Yes, I do own it._

_Author's Note: How do I put this?... This is set before Tomb Raider: Legend, so that's why Alister's still here and the mansion's in one piece and everything. Plus... Happy Thanksgiving everyone! :D (Or happy Thursday for those of you who do not celebrate Thanksgiving. Have a good day!) :)_

_And thank you so much everyone for reviewing and sticking with the story for all this time. ^_^ It means a lot to me._

_Chapter Four: Turning Time_

* * *

"...Winston? If you don't come out, right now, I'm going to... To... Paint the kitchen... And leave a mess behind!" Zip said, proud of his threat, as he slowly went through the storage room.

When silence returned his call, Zip pulled on his hair and growled, the flashlight doing little to reveal Winston's hiding spot.

"Honestly, where is Alister? I called him like a thousand times this morning to see when he was coming into work and his response time is worse than Trish's when she's struggling to come up with a lie." Zip said in annoyance.

Still nothing, not even a sound of breathing.

"Great, and now I'm talking to myself like a maniac." Zip muttered, shining his flashlight on the wall. "No light switch? What is wrong with Lara? Honestly, when she gets back, I'm going to request a light switch installed in this room... And a psychiatric evaluation for Winston!"

"I'm all right." Winston said suddenly, reappearing from behind a stack of crates and startling Zip. "I just had my coffee this morning."

Zip narrowed his eyes at the older man. "Cut it out Winston. We've got serious work to do. I can't-"

Winston held up his hand. "I know, I just want to apologize for not telling you she called. I honestly thought you two had broken up."

There was a long, awkward silence, before Zip finally spoke. "Winston, I am going to count to ten, and if you haven't left the room by then, then I am leaving you to your crazy little mumbling's and going upstairs. I will work in peace there and try and figure out just where our employer has gone!" He said, yelling by that point.

Silence, again, reigned as Winston disappeared behind the crates.

"_Seriously_? Did you switch to regular instead of decaf or somethin', man?" Zip asked, in shock, as he wondered what Winston used to do when it was only him lurking around the mansion.

He then thought about that. _Honestly, no one on this earth probably knows, and no one ever will._

And then it hit him. "Who called?" He asked.

* * *

When the trio reached the throne room, they were greeted with the sight of all the throne room's occupants standing at the windows, staring out, swaying in time with something as it shot past the window.

While the people screamed and gasped, Lara grabbed the other two's arms as they moved forward to see what was going on. "Wait!" She hissed. "I've seen that thing before... Problem is, I can't remember where." She said with a frown.

Kurtis and Trish exchanged nervous looks when Lara wasn't looking. "Concussion?" Trish mouthed, pointing at Lara with her free hand.

Kurtis shook her head and then acted like he was falling to signal that Lara's problems were connected with the fall. "The portal." He mouthed back.

Trish nodded just as King Nod gasped.

"Guards! Stop that... That... Monster!" He shouted, pointing out the window. "Nooooow!" He bellowed.

The gong-ringer reinforced his statement by another gong ringing session.

Trish cringed as she watched the little man bounce and jolt across the floor. "Seriously, he's gotta be deaf by now. So how does he know when to do that?" She asked her friends, though they weren't listening.

As the king's guards formed an un-blinking wall around him in one quick motion, slowly inching their way away from the window and, thus, moving the king with them, Lara looked around for an exit to the courtyard where the excitement was occurring.

She pointed at a nearby balcony and looked at Kurtis, nodding her head in its direction. He nodded and the two took off at a sprint across the throne room to the balcony.

Trish, meanwhile, stared at the guards. "How'd they do that?" She asked the other two only to spot them crossing the room. "You have got to be kidding me." She said, taking off after them.

Lara and Kurtis reached the balcony and watched as the dark, and sinister, being circled the minaret before diving out of sight, the being's identity on the tip of Lara's tongue.

Yum Yum and Tack reached the balcony seconds later, just as the creature reappeared. Trish was right behind them, her short currently black hair in her face for a few seconds.

Those few seconds were long enough for the creature to dive at them, and Kurtis was forced to drag Trish down as they all ducked.

"Thanks," Trish said, pushing her hair out of her eyes and quickly securing it back with a hair tie. "What is that thing? A gargoyle?" She asked her friends as the group slowly rose to its feet.

"No, definitely not." Lara said as it circled the minaret before landing on the very top.

Yum Yum gasped in horror, her skin growing pale as she clung to Tack. "Tack, if it removes even one of the Golden Balls..."

Tack nodded. "We'll face trouble all around... Again."

The trio looked at them, all having the same slightly-annoyed expression on their faces. "So... This is a regular occurrence?" Trish asked them slowly.

Yum Yum shook her head. "No, but the last time this happened, the One Eye's attacked." She said, her breath coming in short gasps. "Tack, I feel weak." She said before collapsing against her husband.

Tack wrapped his arms around her, alarm clear on his face. It only took him a moment to make up his mind though.

Looking up at the group, his eyes grew serious. "Chase this thing away, and you'll endear yourselves to the kingdom. Please... Save us." He pleaded.

The trio exchanged looks, as Trish's eyebrows hiked up to her hairline.

Kurtis shrugged before the group moved into action.

Lara climbed up on the railing of the balcony and began scaling the wall of the palace, head for a seam that ran just below the roof. She planned on moving between buildings, estimating it would take her five minutes max to get to the minaret. It wasn't her first choice of action, but they couldn't risk shooting at the beast and leaving shell casings behind or doing anything else that might change the technology of the time.

As she reached the seam, Kurtis spotted a "nearby" loose awning and, after a moment of weighing his options, used his telekinesis to rip the awning loose and send it flying over to the three Golden Balls, turning the awning into a flying sentinel against the creature.

Trish assessed the situation, trying to spot a reason behind this... Incident... When she spotted far below them a dark figure moving quickly across the courtyard, heading for one of the towers next to the minaret.

"This is too easy." She said, looking over the balcony.

Several poles were set up below the balcony, flags hanging between them.

One of them was close enough for Trish to leap onto.

"Oh what the heck," Trish said, climbing over the railing and leaping to the pole.

Lara, meanwhile, chimney jumped, or leapt between two buildings quickly, in order to reach a seam above her on the next building that would get her much closer to the chain hanging between the minaret and on tower. What she was going to do from there, she was unsure.

That's when she realized that she wasn't surprised that the event was happening.

_My goodness- was whatever happened earlier truly warning me about what is to come or... Or have I been here before and I've... Forgotten?_

Her eyes hardened as she leapt from one windowsill to the next. _That's it. The moment this little shenanigan is over, I'm going to get to the bottom of this nonsense. I'm tired of games._

Some days, Angry Lara was the best Lara to have on your side.

* * *

_Well, it's only been... 2+ years since I updated... *Facepalm x2* Gah, sorry about that. Where I've been? Doesn't matter. Am I back for good? Yes. Will there be an update soon? ...Maybe. I've got a lot to deal with right now. Anyway you look at it, I'm not going to wait 2 years to update._


End file.
